


I Knew You Had To Be Special

by ashilrak



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 10:28:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11378331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashilrak/pseuds/ashilrak
Summary: "Walking into work felt different that day, the routine of slipping the apron over her head had her giggling to herself instead of grumbling as she tied the knot around her waist. The rest of her life was going to depend on this day, and Eliza had no idea what to expect."





	I Knew You Had To Be Special

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Abitofeveryfandom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abitofeveryfandom/gifts).



Eliza tightened her ponytail and looked in the mirror, running her hands over her head to smooth back the baby hairs. Today was the day - the date that had been inscribed on her wrist in a curling red script from the day she was born. It was a shame she needed to pull her hair back for work. 

She bit down on her lip, tapping her manicured nails on the counter as she looked between the products laid out on her vanity. Would her soulmate like her in red? Would her soulmate prefer a natural look - chapstick, maybe? Eliza laughed to herself and reached for her favorite gloss - a sheer pink color that kept her lips soft. 

Walking into work felt different that day, the routine of slipping the apron over her head had her giggling to herself instead of grumbling as she tied the knot around her waist. The rest of her life was going to depend on this day, and Eliza had no idea what to expect. 

The shop was already full of customers, and any single one of them could be hers. Her heart beat fast in her chest, and Eliza shifted her weight onto her toes, bouncing in place. John walked up next to her, tying his own apron, and asked, “what’s got you so excited?”

Eliza laughed, louder than usual. She fiddled with the edge of the sleeve of her sweater. “You know,” she looked away from John, could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, “today’s the day. It’s gonna happen today!”

John’s eyes widened. “Soulmate day?”

She nodded. “Yes!” Eliza leaned forward and placed her arms on John’s shoulders. “I’m gonna meet my soulmate today! Oh my god!” It was really going to happen. 

“I’m excited for you!” John said, smiling. “I’ll keep a lookout for all the beautiful ladies walking in on this very fine day, but for now, our shift starts in a minute.” 

“Thanks, John, I appreciate it.” Eliza looked down at her watch - 8:59. “And shoot, you’re right.”

Each time the door opened, she filled with excitement. She couldn’t stand still, going back and forth behind the counter when there wasn’t a customer at the register. 

Every so often John would walk by and nudge her shoulder, looking toward someone who might as well have been a goddess with a glint in his eye and a smirk on his lips, saying, “do you think it’s her?”

Eliza would laugh and shake her head, a part of her hoping, and would say, “I suppose we’ll find out.”

It never was. 

There was a lull in customers, and Eliza leaned against the counter. Her shift ended in an hour. She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and looked out the window. Her soulmate was out there, somewhere. It was supposed to happen today. Everything Eliza had ever read told her that the marks didn’t lie. It was going to happen. Despite that, she was starting to feel let down.

She spun in place and brought her hands in front of her face, her eyes tracing the date on the wrist. She had always thought it was a beautiful mark - the writing sweeping and elegant, just like she knew her soulmate was going to be.

Eliza had been told for years that she was a romantic, but who wouldn’t be when there was someone out there made just for you? 

A finger poked the side of her arm. She jumped in place, startled, and looked at the grinning John. He poked her again and said, “it’s gonna happen soon, isn’t it? Every moment that passes without meeting them means you’re one moment closer to it happening, right?”

She laughed. “That’s certainly a way to look at it.”

“It’s the best way!” John looked around, no doubt waiting for their manager to pop out from nowhere, and reached into the pastry case. He grabbed a cookie and broke it in half, offering her the larger piece. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Eliza smiled and accepted the cookie, breaking off a small piece of it. “Thanks, John.”

“No problem! Today’s a happy day, we can’t have your soulmate thinking you don’t like them!” John poked her arm again. “I remember the day I met Alex, I was walking on eggshells all day. Every single person I walked by had my heart feeling like it was going to burst out.”

“Didn’t you meet him on the first day of class?” She couldn’t image soulmate nerves on top of freshman nerves. “Wasn’t that terrible?”

John nodded and said, “oh, it definitely was. Especially because I literally didn’t meet him until 11:58 that night. I had gone the entire day thinking I was failure. I was literally going to the bathroom to wash the tears off my face when the idiot ran into me.”

“Oh my god,” Eliza gasped. “You never told me that!”

He shrugged. “It’s usually easier to just say college without too much detail - no one wants to hear how the first hour spent with your soulmate was when you were both crying because you both thought you were failures who didn’t deserve happiness.”

She set the cookie to the side and wrapped her arms around John. “Oh dear.”

He hugged her back but shoved her away after a moment. “It’s all good now - you know Alex, it would have happened eventually, might as well get it over with, right?”

“I guess.”

John smiled wide and looked toward the door where a small group of people was coming in. “The point is that it’ll all work out in the end, okay? Now, c’mon, we have to get back to the grind.”

She shook her head and turned to face the people walking in. “Hello! What can I get for you today?”

It was easy to fall into the rhythm of taking orders - smile, greet the customers, punch in the order, pass the cup over, accept payment, repeat. Every pretty face and handsome grin had that flutter of butterflies in her stomach returning, and Eliza let it happen. It was useless to fight it. John was right, it would all work out.

The clock ticked closer to the end of her shift, but she ignored it. Not meeting her soulmate while working was probably for the better.

Eliza was just getting ready to take of her apron when she heard the sharp click of heels on the wooden floor of the shop. She looked up and the breath rushed out of her chest. The woman in front of her was beyond gorgeous - beautiful was too soft a word, stunning not powerful enough. 

She swallowed. The woman stepped forward with her lips curled into a soft smile. Eliza stuttered, “he-hel-hello. What can I, uh, get you today?”

The woman’s smile widened, her eyes crinkling. “Can I get a large iced green tea?”

“Of course.” Eliza looked down at the screen of the computer and took in a deep breath. “That’ll be $3.75.”

The woman looked at her for a second before saying, “this is a really weird question.”

“Go for it.”

The woman raised a hand to push her hair out of her face and looked to the side. “So, uh, um, what’s your day?”

Eliza felt her eyes widen. “My day?”

“Yeah, you know.” The woman looked back at her. “Your soulmate day.”

Her mouth dropped open. She couldn’t mean- Eliza stared at the woman whose name she still didn’t know for a second. Her eyes were wide, questioning. Eliza closed her mouth and swallowed. She pushed her sleeve up and pushed her wrist in front of her, today’s date visible against her skin.

The woman’s eyes went wide before her smile returned. She lifted up her own arm, the date and font matching the mark on Eliza’s wrist. “I had a hunch - it’s not every day I see a girl and can’t breath, you know. I knew you had to be special.”

“You mean?”

“Yes,” the woman said. “Or at least I think so.”

Eliza laughed, smiling wide enough that her cheeks hurt. “I’m Eliza.”

“Maria.”

From her side, John’s voice called out, “large green tea.”

Eliza looked to the clock and turned back to Maria and said, “I get off in twenty minutes.”

Maria reached forward and squeezed her hand. “I’ll wait for you.”

She watched as Maria went to grab her drink and sat down in a small table in the corner. Maria caught her eye and winked, and Eliza felt her cheeks get even hotter. There weren’t any other customers in line, and Eliza wanted nothing more than to throw the apron in the corner and jump over the counter - wanted to tell Maria everything that had ever happened to her in her life, wanted to see if Maria’s lips were as sweet as they looked.

A nudge to her side brought her focus back to around her. She turned and saw it was John. He smiled and said, “i’m assuming that's your girl.”

“Yeah,” Eliza sighed, “she is.” 

John wiggled his brows. “She’s a looker.”

“Yeah, she is.” Eliza smiled. “I’m blessed, really.”

He leaned against the counter. “We’re not busy and your shift is practically over anyway, go talk to her.”

“You sure?”

John nodded, grinning. “Of course.”

She laughed and threw her arms over his shoulders in a hug. “Thank you so much!”

“Don’t worry about it, but, I expect a double date at some point.”

Eliza untied her apron. “Of course, whatever you want - we’ll figure out a time.”

“Good, now go get your girl.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!
> 
> Please feel free to come pester me at my [tumblr](http://ashilrak.tumblr.com/)! :^))
> 
> <3 <3 <3 <3 <3


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